Carthage family to walk for diabetes cure

Wednesday

Sep 19, 2012 at 9:13 AM

A Carthage family has had to take on a whole new routine.

Rebecca Haines

A Carthage family has had to take on a whole new routine.

The son of Scott and Chelsea Hoenshell, Zachary, 6, lives with Type 1 Diabetes. He was diagnosed a couple months ago, and now he must poke his finger for a drop of blood at least 10 times a day. He must have an insulin shot with every meal and at bedtime. “This diagnosis has changed our lives forever,” Chelsea said. “It has been overwhelming.”

Everything Zachary eats must be weighed, measured and recorded to ensure a correct dose of insulin will be given with meals and snacks. He must also be monitored during activities so that his blood sugar doesn't fall into dangerous levels.

Adapting to this way of life, the family has made a “Zac Pak.” The pack contains a blood sugar testing kit, insulin, needles, carb counter and emergency snacks. He must also wear an alert bracelet in case of an emergency, first responders will know he has diabetes.

“Our daughter Mackenzie is 9 years old and she kind of takes over as momma when I'm not there,” Chelsea said. “I was pretty much a basket case during the initial diagnosis and hospital stay. Scott held everything together. Once we got home it started to get a little easier. Zac was doing better with the shots and we were starting to get a routine going. We have set backs every now and then but it seems to be getting easier everyday.”

Through the changes and challenges the family faces, a commitment has developed for the JDRF. The family raises funds for the mission of improving the young lives like Zachary.

The next JDRF Walk is scheduled for Oct. 6, and the community is invited to help Zachary and the other countless children like him. The Walk to Cure Diabetes & 5K is set in Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City, Mo. Anyone is invited to join the family's walk team or make donations. Team sign-ups and donations can be made at walk.jdrf.org, and checks may be mailed to: 12080 Knoll Rd., Carthage, MO 64836.

“My wish is for people to support this effort because every kid should get to be a kid without all of the diet restrictions, finger pokes and shots that come with Type 1 Diabetes,” Chelsea said.

For additional information, the family encourages the community to contact them at 417-529-3461, or email Chelsea at chelseahoenshell@gmail.com.

What is JDRF?JDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Driven by passionate, grassroots volunteers connected to children, adolescents, and adults with this disease, JDRF is the largest charitable supporter of T1D research. The goal of JDRF is to improve the lives of every person affected by T1D by accelerating progress on the most promising opportunities for curing, better treating, and preventing T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners who share this goal.

Since its founding in 1970, JDRF has awarded more than $1.5 billion to T1D research. More than 80 percent of JDRF's expenditures directly support research and research-related education. Past JDRF research efforts have helped to significantly improve the care of people with this disease, and have expanded the critical scientific understanding of T1D. JDRF will not rest until T1D is fully conquered.

What is Type 1 Diabetes (T1D)?T1D is an autoimmune disease in which a person's pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. T1D affects children and adults, and lasts a lifetime.

Type 1 diabetes affects as many as 3 million people in the U.S. alone.Every year, more than 30,000 new cases of type 1 diabetes are diagnosed; that's 80 people per day. 15,000 are children; 15,000 are adults.